The ability to live independently hopefully evolves as a person matures through early adulthood and then extends through most or all of that person's life. However, such is not always the case.
It has been recognized that as individuals age, they lose a portion of their ability to independently carry out the activities of daily living. Common types of problems include loss of coordination and/or ability to understand where one's body is in space. These types of deficiencies can cause individuals to lose their balance and fall. The results of such falls, such as broken hips, can incapacitate the respective individual and leave them unable to summon help. The resulting delay in response, sometimes a day or more, can result in permanent disability or death in situations where quicker response could achieve full recovery.
Other forms of deficiencies arise from onset of dementia, and/or Alzheimer's Disease. Individuals with these syndromes lose their cognitive abilities, including their short term memory, in varying degrees. As a result of these losses, they often are unable to remember where they are or how to return, for example, to their residence, if they wander off (sometimes referred to as elopement). In early stages of dementia, they may simply need reminding about when to take medication, when to eat, and when to sleep, for example.
Younger individuals who are debilitated due to accidents (motorcycle riding, sports or the like) or diseases, such as cancer, alcoholism or hormonal imbalances represent another group whose ability to live independently may have been permanently compromised. Such individuals may also benefit from monitoring, reminders and the like.
Notwithstanding the types of deficiencies noted above, it has also been recognized that there is a substantial and important quality of life value in being able to continue to live substantially independently in one's residence. Not only is this psychologically, and perhaps physically, better for the individual (assuming the lifestyle can be carried out safely), it is substantially less expensive than maintaining the same individual in either an assisted living environment or a nursing home. Hence, there continues to be a need for systems and methods which support individuals who would like to remain at home, despite the presence of physical or cognitive limitations (which might have been caused by aging, accident or disease). Preferably, such systems would enable such individuals to safely remain in their homes and assist them in continuing to be as independent as possible.